Customer Reviews

Mr. Tambourine Man: The Life and Legacy of The Byrds' Gene Clark (Book)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While I was listening to the radio a week ago, I heard the Byrd's, I'm Going to Feel a Whole Lot Better." It was a totally Proustian moment for me, and I was suddenly transported back years to when I first heard that wonderful song. I thought about the handsome singer/ writer who wrote it, and suddenly wanted to find what I could about him, and the Byrds. I found this wonderful book, and read it in one sitting.

Gene Clark wrote that tune, and many, many others. He was one of the founding 5 members of the Byrds, a group that was often referred to as the "American Beatles" when they starting performing in the mid 1960's.

Clark left the Byrds dramatically after just a couple of albums, both because of internal problems within the group, and because of emotional problems of his own. (i.e. His notorious "fear of flying," made ironic in a group called the Byrds.)

In this book, Einarson argues that Clark was probably bipolar, and may have improved given proper medications. But at that time, on his own, with all his fame and money, he self-medicated himself with drugs and booze. Lots of booze.

Although he wrote so many wonderful songs, because of all of his problems Clark was unable to turn his genius into commercial success. As you read the story of his life, you can't help but feel frustrated with his string of bad luck, but more so with his behavior that caused him to burn so many bridges and sabotage any chances he had.

This is a terrific biography, and highly recommended for anyone who has wondered about what happened to Gene Clark. One small complaint is that I would've liked to have seen more pictures of family and friends.

Einarson is obviously a big fan, but he did extensive interviews and did a lot of research to give us as accurate a portrayal as possible. Gene Clark had a lot of faults, but you come away from this biography with an absolute respect for his musical gifts.

I hope this book gets a lot of attention, and that Gene Clark finally gets the critical and public acclaim that is his due.

Gene Clark seemed like a lost soul. One of the guiding lights of The Byrds and the best songwriter/singer in the band, Clark left the band due to ego, conflicts and infighting. Unfortunately, after his soaring success with The Byrds his solo career and later bands never quite took off. John Einarson's terrific biography of Gene features vintage interviews with Clark (he died in 1991), new interviews with his former bandmates, family members and managers to create a picture of a restless creative spirit who clearly wasn't comfortable with the trappings of fame or his own skin for much of his life.

Originally the most prolific songwriter in The Byrds and their main focal point, Clark was pushed out of the band by Roger McGuinn and David Crosby as they wanted to write more and sing more. It didn't help that their manager saw McGuinn as the "voice" of the band (he did sing on their most popular singles). After a disasterous reunion in 1973, Clark continued his solo career producing the legendary "No Other" album (which still has mixed reactions to this day). The lack of self confidence and set backs that Clark faced (including his stalled solo career) kept him from achieving a sense of balance in his life.

My only criticisms of the book is a lack of a detailed discography (particularly of the numerous unreleased tracks that Clark recorded)and a list of all his published songs. Also, the book could have used more photos. Despite this minor flaw, Einarson (who has written for Mojo, Uncut and other music magazines)creates a complete picture of this frequently troubled but talented musician.

Music to listen to while reading this: The first three Byrds albums, Clark's Echoes, Roadmaster, White Light (aka Gene Clark), No Other, So Rebellious a Lover (with Carla Olson)and the reissue of the Clark-McGuinn-Hillman album.

I notice that, as of the time I write this short review, John's biography of Gene Clark gets 5 stars from 6 of 7 reviewers and 1 star from 1 reviewer. Don't let the 1-star review mislead you. He is not really disappointed by the book. He is disappointed by the reality of Gene Clark's life. And that is what this book does an excellent job of conveying. John Einarson goes into the minute details of Gene Clark's life. It wasn't pretty, but the story is compelling. John does not glamourize the rock star life. He doesn't editorialize nor hyperbolize. He simply tells the story. I am truly impressed by the research that John did for this book, and he does an excellent job of laying out the story. The book is readable. It never seems like a star "tell-all". It is simply the story of Gene Clark. I recommend it highly. I have read several of John Einarson's books about folk rock and country rock artists, and I think this is his best.

I was hooked from John Einarson's statement in the introduction that for Gene Clark it was all about the lyrics. Einarson's meticulous research into Gene Clark pays homage to the introspective, troubled soul who produced some of the most haunting, memorable lyrics to come out of the 60s and 70s. Clark was unable to maintain the success achieved by the Byrds, and his efforts to throw off the label of "ex-Byrd" continued throughout his life. Einarson explores Clark's impoverished childhood and the impact it had on his inability to cope with fame and fortune. He details Clark's frustration with the music industry, as well as his continual struggle with substance abuse. Einarson makes no attempt to excuse or romanticize Clark's drinking and drugging as part of the times, but instead portrays the reality of a musical genius destroyed by his own demons.

Einarson has amassed an incredible number of interviews which offer a great deal of insight into Clark. Clark family members, including his two sons, are quoted frequently. Although many legendary musicians were interviewed, Einarson maintains his focus on Gene Clark. It is fitting and ironic that the spotlight Clark so studiously avoided shines directly on him in this amazingly detailed biography.

Those of us who spent hour after hour listening to the Byrds and dissecting their music found it incomprehensible that Gene Clark could have simply walked away. The perspective of time, life experience, and this book helps us to empathize with the desire of an insecure singer/songwriter to be heard and appreciated.

Gene Clark was the most talented songwriter in the Byrds. The man who wrote and sang "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", "Tried So Hard", "Train Leaves Here This Morning" (with Bernie Leadon), and "Set You Free This Time". A very sensitive man, he was also extremely self-destructive. He had wrestled with demons throughout his brief life. The opportunities that came his way he either squandered or didn't take advantage of. Leaving the Byrds early on proved to be a terrible career move that he never really did recover from.

Furthermore, through his copious use of booze, he always seemed to rub those who could help his career, the hollyweird starmaking machine, the wrong way. Angered by some of his actions, David Geffen for example refused to promote his wonderful "No Other" recording. A drunken Clark also shocked another, more sympathetic record mogul by telling him to "f" his wife in front of him at a very well-known Hollywood restaurant!

The photograph of the once-healthy and strong Clark on page 305 taken right before he died speaks volumes. No, he didn't have AIDS, but alcohol disease made him look as if he had.

John Einarson wrote a compelling, well-researched, very sad story of a good man who couldn't handle things. Essential for all Byrds fans - with contributions by Chris Hillman, John York, and Bernie Leadon, among others, including members of Gene Clark's family.

Gene Clark was not only the genius behind the Byrds, notwithstanding Roger McGuinn's brilliance and David Crosby's backup roll, but a true pioneer of several variations of modern rock and popular music.
The story of this troubled man is long overdue and one that I think today's fans of folk-rock, psychedelia, alt-country and Americana are largely unaware of.
The book is long on facts and that is OK but the one quibble I have, and the reason I did not give 5 stars, is that the author tends to repeat himself rather than just tell a straightforward story.
Otherwise the book is outstanding and has led me to look for more and more of Clark's work as I re-discover and discover this true innovator of American music.

Gene Clark, one of the founders of the Byrds and for the most part the magic and genius behind the Byrds was and is a milestone in 60's music. Unfortunately after the Byrds, he never reached the pinnacle of success that he was capable of reaching though he had no one to blame but himself. His fear of flying, his anxieties and panic attacks, his drinking and drug use, all of it and more took its toll as so often is the case with people who have been blessed with above average talent. This book was very interesting, very factual, and very difficult to put down once I started reading it. If you're looking for the inside story of a man who helped define the 60's, I would highly recommend this book. There's a lot of information out there on the Byrds, but nothing about Gene Clark as comprehensive as this.

Gene Clark was one of the best (and I mean one of the BEST) singer-songwriters of the 1960's-on. He ranked up there with Dylan and Van Morrison. The reason why he didn't assume fame and fortune is chronicled in this excelllent book. Although the others may have had problems, Gene was haunted by demons most of his life. He never achieved commercial success (except with The Byrds), and this book tells the story why. Highly recommended for all who want to know the reason why.

The highest praise. It's incredibly detailed and very readable despite all the densely packed information contained therein. The author was amazingly thorough and he really paints a vivid portrait of Gene Clark's life and times. If you find it difficult (as I did) to keep track of the many characters mentioned and/or (invaluably) quoted in this book, there's an index to help keep them straight.

Although Gene Clark has been making me swoon since I was a 12/13-year old in 1965, I really didn't know much more about him than the edited versions I read in the teen mags of that era. So while I can't say it was easy to read the unvarnished truth about his often relentlessly troubled and very self-destructive life, the author treats Gene with both honesty and respect and a true appreciation of his talent and compassion for his struggles with his demons. It seems pretty clear that Gene was bipolar and that he self-medicated, as many do, with booze and drugs, of course only exacerbating his problems in the process.

My only (minor) quibble is that the book doesn't include enough photos, and the omission of photos of those who were most involved with Gene's life for the longest periods is puzzling. For example, there is so much mention made of Gene's wife Carlie and his girlfriend Terri Messina... but no photos of either. And what photos there were, were randomly scattered through the pages rather than grouped together for easy reference, but I suppose that was the publisher's decision.

One thing I looked for in the book, but didn't find, was a refresher for my dimming recollection of Gene's appearance as one of the three rock star bachelor contestants on "The Dating Game." I seem to recall this episode airing during the summer of 1966. I do recall more clearly that Gene seemed really out of it, and at one point when he didn't respond to one of the bachelorette's questions, the show's host Jim Lange asked him (I think Gene was Bachelor #2) if he was awake. I was cringing for Gene -- and he wasn't picked to be her date. (I think Ian Whitcomb won the date, and the other contestant was Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders... but I could be confusing the latter with another DG appearance he made.) In any event, after reading this book, I'm more curious than ever to know the sequence of events that led to Gene's appearance on The Dating Game!

Overall, though, I can't imagine a much more thorough and interesting bio of Gene Clark than this one.

What a great book. A lot of time went into collecting/interviewing all those folks who were part of Gene's life. I bought this book because I wanted to know how Gene Clark ended up a wasted shell of a human being when I saw him at a club in Santa Monica just before he died. A man in his mid-forties should have been in top form and good health. Instead, that night in that small venue (it was essentially just a bar) I sat 30 feet from Gene and could see his haunted face and emaciated body. He kept looking into the audience but his eyes were dead. I remember feeling terrible after I left. And then a few months later I found out he had passed away.

This book explains everything. As the lead singer for the Byrds and as a solo singer/songwriter Gene had it all: good looks, strong physique, excellent lyrices, and a great voice. But built into Gene from day one were the seeds of his own destruction that would result in an internal battle whose ultimate casualty was the man himself. Now I understand why Gene never achieved the kind of fame one would have expected from such a talented individual. God bless you Gene...and thanx for the beautiful and moving music.

If you are into the Byrds, the roots of country rock, or a die-hard Gene Clark fan....you gotta get this. It is a labor of love and will provide insight into a tortured soul, and maybe in reading it, you will also see a bit of yourself in Gene.